The African boy listened very attentively as the missionary explained why it is that Christians give presents to each other at Christmas time. "The gift is our expression of our joy over the birth of Jesus, and also our friendship with each other," she said. When Christmas day came, the young boy brought her a beautiful seashell. "Where did you ever find such an amazing shell?" she asked, as she stroked the gift.
The boy told her that the only place where they could be found was several miles away. "Why...why, it's just absolutely gorgeous—it is wonderful—but you shouldn't have traveled all that way to just get a gift for me." The boy's eyes brightened, and he answered, "Long walk part of the gift!" It is true! As with any gift, it is much more special when some thought has gone into it. Whether it is a homemade gift, or just something that truly shows we care about people, the long walk is part of the gift!
With Thanksgiving Day just behind us, and with Christmas coming up quickly—and all of the travel that is sometimes involved in celebrating these times with families and friends—we are reminded again that the trips themselves are important, too. Remember—in the Christian life, the real focus is not entirely upon the ultimate destination, namely Heaven, but also upon how we get there. Yes, each obedient step in holiness and purity before God is part of the gift! I wonder what it was like for Joseph and Mary, as they traveled just prior to that very first Christmas. It seemed to be all laid out for them. Luke 2: 1-3 tells us, "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city." On the surface, it appears that the emperor planned this census and taxation, but, no, it was all engineered by God—He had a greater plan in mind!
So what did Joseph, and his very pregnant wife, do about it? The next verse tells us—"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)" Hey, look at that! I typed that exactly as I found it in the KJV Bible, and it ends with one of those sideways "smiley face" things that people use in texting and emailing to express joy! Imagine that—Joy! I don't know that we would have guessed that—after all, the 90 mile trip would be a very difficult time for both of them, even if Mary did ride on a donkey. No donkey is mentioned, but Jesus did conclude His ministry by riding a donkey on His way into Jerusalem—so, why not begin it that way, too. Regardless, the long journey would give plenty of time to ponder and even daydream about what this whole thing would mean for everyone. The upcoming event in Bethlehem, would be the greatest gift ever, and their long walk would be a very big part of it!
The days were hot and the nights were cold, but they kept going. About 30 miles into it, they passed by Jacob's well, quite near the Samaritan village of Sychar, which, in the Hebrew means to "imbibe or drink." Oh, how the memories of their own history must of flooded in. Jacob had been one of the patriarchs, along with their own forefather, Judah. Genesis reveals that when Jacob, also known as Israel, was about to die, he blessed his children. When speaking to his young son Joseph, he went on to say, "Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow." (48:22) That plot of land contained the well. Little did they know, that their own son, Jesus, would meet a woman there, changing her life with His "living water," and saving her whole village. (John 4) A day or two later, off to the left, they would see yet another historical landmark—Jericho. Though it had been rebuilt, it was still enough to let the memories wash over them. Joshua—or Yeshua, the Hebrew word for "Jesus"—was called by God to cross the Jordan River and take the city of Jericho, but not in the traditional manner. No, these walls would come down by obedience—marching in silence, and then shouting and trumpet's blowing—"So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat...and they took the city." (Joshua 6:20)
Now, a lot of smart and sophisticated people today don't believe that it happened like that, but Joseph and Mary did. Little did even they know, that much later, in the 1950's, famed archaeologist, John Garstang, would discover that the city was indeed burned with fire around 1400 BC. In more recent years, Lorenzo Nigro and Nico Marchetti would find the stone revetment wall at the base of the excavated site. Part of the mud-brick wall built on top of it was still visible and intact; amazing evidence of collapsed walls, just like the Bible said. Hebrews 11:30 tells us, "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down...", and by faith Joseph, Mary, and all of us can—and must—believe it! Little did those two travelers know it, but their own son, Jesus, would pass right through there on the way to the Cross, changing the lives of little Zacchaeus, blind Bartimaeus, and a host of others.
As soon as the sun began to set, they rounded the bend and closed in on Bethlehem. Off to their right, they passed the farm fields that had once belonged to their ancestor Boaz. With every clomp of the donkey's hoof, their daydream of those days unfolded. A great famine had come, and Elimelech took his wife, Naomi, and their two sons off to Moab. The men of the family died while there, but Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth, returned to Bethlehem. To make a long story short, Boaz allows Ruth to glean in his fields, and in the end, he becomes her "kinsman-redeemer," purchasing back the family lands and name. They get married, have a child, "And the women...gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi (the boy's grandmother); and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David." (Ruth 4:17) In other words, Ruth and Boaz would be the great-grandparents of King David—the very lineage of Joseph and Mary. Little did they know, their little boy would become the kinsman-redeemer for all of us, purchasing our salvation!
Just a few hundred yards down the road, they came to the historic battlefield where the giant champion of the Philistines was defeated—utterly defeated by the teenager David. The story was vivid, as it took shape in yet another daydream. David, in explaining his willingness to fight the giant Goliath, told King Saul, "The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with you." (1 Sam. 17:37) Shunning the use of the king's armor, David gathered five smooth stones for his sling shot, and went out to meet the giant, saying to him, "Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied...that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." (vss. 45-46b) One stone, and down came that Philistine—"the battle is the Lord's." (vs. 47b) Little did Joseph and Mary know—their son, Jesus, would one day conquer death by rolling away one, single, solitary stone!
The little hamlet of Bethlehem was right up ahead, but before the two travelers entered through the gate, they spotted the town well. Their daydreaming of Bethlehem began with a well, and now it would end with one—the well of Bethlehem! Many years before, when the garrison of the Philistines was located in Bethlehem, David and his "mighty men" were hiding nearby. 2 Samuel 23:15-16 records it—"And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate! And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the Lord." Now the casual observer would have been appalled—what total disregard for the men's feelings and service! But, actually, it is just the opposite—out of utter respect for his courageous men, he poured out the water as a "drink offering," so to speak, unto the Lord. Yes, unto the Lord! What was about to happen in a stable was unto the Lord! Every step of that very long walk was unto the Lord—from Jacob's well and Jesus' living water to walls and giants falling flat on the ground to the ultimate in kinsman-redeemers—all of it, unto the Lord! Little did they know that many of the events in their son's life would later remind them of the prophetic markers they saw as they walked to Bethlehem. Yes, the long walk is part of the gift!
